If you follow me on Facebook you’ve seen my Sunday evening posts about planning and prepping for the week ahead so that you stay on track toward your goals.

“Success is something you decide ahead of time.”

Another tip I like that I got from Jimmie King is to set rules or declarations that are decisions made ahead of time for our own good, or toward the achievement of a goal. 

“I don’t eat ____” is a great example. You can fill in the blank with a multitude of things – anything basically that you know will sabotage your healthy lifestyle or take you off track and further from your goals as opposed to closer.

  • I don’t eat cupcakes.
  • I don’t eat unplanned meals or snacks.
  • I don’t eat bread at my evening meal.
  • I don’t drink coffee.
  • I don’t drink my calories.

This can certainly be carried over into other areas of life:

  • I always take the stairs.
  • I always park a large distance from the door at the mall. Even in the rain. ☺
  • I only check my personal email once per day.
  • I limit my time on social media to 30 minutes.
  • I workout 6 days per week.
  • I schedule my workouts before 4 pm.

Can you imagine the difference iI always take the stairs.t could make in your life to simply decide ahead of time? Think about when you get together with friends. You are so close to your goal weight, and you know that wine or dessert will derail you. Decide ahead of time.

Headed out to lunch or dinner? Decide ahead of time on the restaurant and look at their menu ahead of time. Deciding on a healthy choice ahead of time is SO much easier than in the moment when you get caught up in the excitement of seeing family or friends, or what others are having.

The beauty of setting rules and deciding ahead of time is that in a short period of time, they become habits. Healthy habits!